Page 16 of Mia

“Are you gonna say something, Ma?”

She paused, lifting the coffee mug to her lips.

“I’m not the one who has anything to explain.”

“Mom—”

“You’re pregnant. Fucking. Pregnant! And married! You didn’t think I needed to know that!”

I jumped as she swiped the plate of food from the table and sprang to her feet.

“You allowed me and your grandfather to blindly put you and my grandchild in danger. For what?”

“I just… I needed to get away⁠—”

“Then take a fucking vacation!”

“That wasn’t enough, Mom! I needed to work. I needed the distraction.”

“From what? Him?” She glared at Titan before taking a deep breath and rubbing her temples. “I’m so sick of this back and forth between you two. It’s exhausting, and you’re making everyone around you miserable with your bullshit. One minute you love him. The next minute, you hate him. Why the fuck would you two go off and get married when you can’t even have a stable relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend?”

I shrugged. “It just happened.”

She scoffed. “It just happened? Whose idea was it?”

“Ms. Maddie—” Titan tried but was cut off.

“Shut up.”

“You asked a question.”

“It was rhetorical because it doesn’t matter whose idea it was. It was stupid.”

Titan reached for my hand. “Ms. Maddie, I love your daughter.”

“If you loved her, you would have done what she didn’t and tell me or her father that she was pregnant. You are just as much to blame for her being here as she is.”

“I’ll take that and own it. I should’ve said something. I know better than anyone that Mia can be hardheaded as a muthafucka. I told her not to come here.”

She shook her head. “That doesn’t mean shit if you didn’t stop her.”

Titan raised his hands. “She doesn’t listen to me. I’m not her daddy.”

My mother looked at him with disgust. “Oh, but I bet she calls your ass daddy.”

“Mama!” I exclaimed. “I was wrong, okay? I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

“It’s too late to be sorry. I’m pulling the plug on this whole thing.”

“You can’t!” I protested. “I’m this close to getting what I need from him.”

She pointed at me. “No. We will find another way. You heard what I said.”

“There are too many missing girls out there for me to back down now⁠—”

“You’re gonna come up missing if you don’t get your ass back on that jet and head home,” Titan threatened me. “This is over, Mia.”

I glared at him. “Excuse you?”